New Organizational Unit for Autonomous Systems

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are establishing a new organizational unit for unmanned systems and artificial intelligence (AI). Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir announced this during a graduation ceremony for naval officer training. The new unit is expected to be fully operational by early December.

Zamir cited the rapid evolution of modern battlefields as the reason for this move. In the future, drones, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and AI systems will be more closely integrated. These technologies could be deployed alongside manned units or independently, expanding operational capabilities and helping to protect human lives. The IDF aims to play a leading international role in this field.

The establishment of the department is intended to consolidate technologies for land, air, and sea. The Israeli Navy is also set to benefit, particularly through autonomous systems above and below the water’s surface. As part of the multi-year “Hoshen” program, the IDF is also placing an emphasis on maritime combat capability. Most recently, the Navy took delivery of the “INS Drakon,” another submarine built in Germany.

Israel has been working for years on the digitization and modernization of its armed forces. Under former Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, the C-Dome air defense system, the Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, and the Skylark 3 reconnaissance drone were introduced, among other things. The army also invested in drones, ground robots, and new, technology-enabled combat concepts.

However, following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, this strong focus on high technology was met with some criticism. Israeli ground forces were inadequately prepared for the large-scale attack.
The new division is being established against the backdrop of an increasing focus by the Israeli security and defense industry on autonomous systems. Elbit Systems recently unveiled “Fuse,” a concept designed to centrally coordinate multiple AI-supported air and ground systems.

The Israeli technology sector is also continuing to advance in this area. According to the Ministry of Finance, Israel ranks third globally in the commercialization of AI and sixth and seventh in research and development. The technology sector also remains a key economic driver: In the first half of 2026, capital raised increased by 53.6 percent compared to the same period the previous year.

IDF online